Safety First
by in1000wordsorless
Summary: 9 year old Dick just learned how to skateboard, but Wally tells Dick that safety gear is for little kids. Dick falls hard, and has no gear to protect him. Bruce/Dick fatherly love.


Bruce helped Dick keep his balance on his skateboard. The small nine year old had a board when he was still in the circus, but since he and his family were always practicing, performing, or on the road, Dick never had the time to learn how to ride it.

"Can I try riding by myself?" Dick asked eagerly.

"Hm, Okay, but first," Bruce grabbed a helmet, elbow pads, kneepads, and hand guards that were set on the workbench behind him. "You have to wear these."

Dick groaned. "Why do I have to wear that? I run on rooftops and do acrobatics 30 feet up in the air."

"Well, safety first. At least when you're not trained yet." Bruce smiled.

Dick reluctantly put the pads and helmet on and skated down the driveway. He made it to the end and back without falling, so Bruce let him ride around as long as he wanted. When he got back to Bruce, he was ecstatic.

"Did you see how fast I went down the driveway? And I turned and I jumped without falling off!"

Bruce smiled and went into the house as he heard the phone ring. Bruce sighed as he set the phone back down. Wayne Tower needed him for the rest of the day. He picked up the phone again and dialed Barry's number.

"Hello?" Barry said on the other side.

"Barry, this is Bruce. I need to go to the office, but Alfred is visiting family for the weekend and I can't take Dick to the office. Could you watch him for today."

"Sorry, but I had prior engagement. But I know Wally would be willing to."

"He's only eleven. I don't know if I trust those two alone."

"Relax Bruce, Wally can be responsible, and if anything goes wrong, Wally knows the emergency numbers and my number by heart."

Bruce thought about the dangers, but he was already going to be late to the tower.

"Okay. How long until Wally will be here?" A few seconds later, the doorbell rang.

"He's getting much faster. Thanks Barry." Bruce hung up and answered the door to see an excited Wally on rollerblades.

"Hi Mr. Wayne!" Wally waved in super speed.

"Hi Wally. The numbers for my office and my cell phone are on this table." Bruce pointed to the small table sitting next to the door. "Call my office first. Only call my cell if it is an emergency. I should be back around 6 or 7, and there are some snacks in the fridge, but not too much junk. You got that?"

Wally nodded eagerly. Bruce waved to Dick, who was sitting in the grass now, and he eagerly waved as well. Once Bruce left, both boys jumped into the driveway.

"Are you ready to see how fast I can go on my new skates?" Wally dared Dick.

"Well I bet if you don't use your super speed, I'll be faster on my board!" Dick challenged back.

Wally laughed. "Yeah right Shorty!"

Dick smiled. "Lets have a race then. Starting at the garage, down the driveway, around the first house, through the alley and back up the other side. First one wins."

"You're on!" Wally yelled. They set up at the garage, but before they started, Wally asked Dick why he was wearing all the padding.

"It's so I'm safe." Dick said.

Wally chuckled. "I already know I'm gonna win, but I'm gonna give you a boost so you don't lose by even longer. All the pads and the helmet are just gonna slow you down."

"But Bruce said safety first, and that I have to wear this until I'm better trained."

"But only babies wear elbow and knee pads. And not even babies wear hand guards. And the helmet just shows how much of a little kid you are."

Dick threw all the safety gear into the lawn. He wasn't going to let Wally call him a baby.

They sped down the driveway, Wally ahead of Dick, and past the first house. Wally hadn't noticed that there was a different turn into the alley that was quicker than around the extra house before the street. Dick turned in and sped his way through the alley. Wally sped up just enough to beat Dick halfway through the alley. Dick hadn't noticed how sharp the turn was. He tried his best to turn, but the little stones all throughout the alley stopped his board, and he skid across the rocks and cracks and into to corner of the building in front of him.

Wally made it to the garage and celebrated. "I win! I win! Sorry Dick, but you just can't be me in a race!" Wally looked back to see Dick lying in the alley. He sped over to his friend.

Dick was crying, and Wally could definitely tell why. There was some blood smeared across from the middle of the alley towards Dick. Wally could see there were rocks stuck in his hands and his knees.

"I-It's gonna be okay Dick." Wally tried to console his friend. He brushed Dick's hair back out of his face when he felt something warm and wet on the side of Dick's head.

Wally carefully picked Dick up and ran him into the house. He found the phone and the numbers and dialed Bruce's cell phone. He was pretty sure this counted as an emergency.

…

Bruce was in the middle of a meeting when his phone rang. Everyone stared at him as he went out of the room to answer it.

"Wally? I told you to only call on this phone if it was an emer-"

"_I'm sorry I'm sorry but it's an emergency!Me and Dick were racing and he fell and I told him not to wear the safety gear and now there's rocks in his hands and his knees and he skinned his arm and he has blood from his heeaadd!" _Wally interrupted in a long-winded and super sped explanation.

"Okay Wally, keep calm. Call an ambulance and I'll be at the hospital when you get there."

Wally hung up the phone as Bruce ran out to his car. He knew the other board members were going to be mad, but all he wanted to do right now was to make sure Dick was okay.

…

Bruce made it to the hospital and was in the emergency waiting room before the ambulance came. When thee ambulance made it into the hospital, Dick was lying on the gurney, still slightly crying and a doctor looked him over. Bruce ran over to Dick and Wally.

"Dick, what happened?" Bruce asked as calmly as he could. Before Dick could respond, a nurse asked Bruce to let Dick go for now so he could calm down and be further inspected by the doctor.

Bruce obeyed, knowing no good would come from fighting with them. Wally and Bruce sat down in the waiting room as Dick was wheeled into a room.

"Okay, now that Dick's going to be okay, tell me what happened." Bruce demanded in the kindest voice he could use, even though it was still enough to scare Wally.

"W-well w-we were gonna race. A-and he was wearing so much padding i-it would slow him down, s-so I told him he sh-should take it off so he could go f-faster, b-but on the turn, he f-fell a-and he slid into the building, a-and when I pushed his hair ou-out of his face, I-I felt s-something warm and w-wet from his head." Wally stuttered.

Bruce sighed through his nose, letting his anger out. "It's okay Wally." Bruce said. "Just don't do anything like that again."

Wally nodded as he started to calm himself down. The doctor called Bruce over after looking Dick over. Dick had to have his hands and knees wrapped in gauze for a while, his elbow had to be bandaged from having so much skin skidded off, and he had a minor concussion.

Dick was calm now and sitting up in his bed. He looked up at Bruce and then back down at his sheets.

"'M sorry I didn't wear the pads or the helmet of the hand guards." Dick mumbled.

Bruce sat lightly by Dick. "It's okay Dick, but now you see why safety comes first."

Dick smiled slightly as he raised his head and nodded.

…

Years later, Dick walked through the door and tossed his Nightwing skateboard over by the front bench. Bruce walked in and saw Dick holding his elbow.

"Hey Bruce." Dick calmly said as he waved with his free hand before wincing.

"What happened?" Bruce asked as he looked at the bloody elbow visible through the torn school shirt.

"I fell." Dick said calmly again.

Bruce looked up from the elbow. "In the same alley."

"Ha, yep. No matter what I do, I can never turn right in there."

"Maybe you should wear elbow pads under your jacket from now on." Bruce joked.

"Ha! That's just ridiculous." Dick laughed as he climbed up the stairs.

"Well safety first!" Bruce yelled up the stairs.

Dick laughed as he looked over the edge of the banister. "Then why do ya let me run on rooftops and fight criminals?"

Dick laughed as Bruce tried to come up with a good come back.

…

97. Safety First

Okay, so what'd you people think? I know, cheesy/stupid ending.

I have an alley right by my house that I tried going down on a skateboard. I got rocks tuck in my hands. Lots of fun picking those little suckers out!

Please tell me what ya think! I love the reviews!


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